The Diplomatic Agenda

1. Volunteers for Ideas and Projects Romania 2 2. About The Diplomatic Agenda 3

3. The Diplomatic Agenda – The 2013 edition 4

4. Videoconferences’ Themes 5

5. Target audience 6

6. Objectives and desired impact 8

7. Advertising 8. Partners

9. VIP Romania Projects 11

10. Contact 12

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Volunteers for Ideas and Projects Romania (VIP Romania) is a nongovernmental and nonprofit organization based on volunteering and it consists exclusively of students from universities such as Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, University of Bucharest, National School of Political and Administrative Studies or The Polytechnic University of Bucharest. For 14 years, VIP and its 4 communities (Business Club, Leadership Development, Econosofia and International Affairs) have organized annually over 10 personal and professional development projects and programs in various fields for BA and MA Romanian students, offering them the opportunity to learn in a dynamic environment and also to interact with specialists. The 14 years of experience and continual improvement process helped us create the best performing training program in the country. We are proud with:� Over 10 projects that take place annually at a local, national and international level;� 100 active members and 500 alumni;� 70 partner companies;� 100 media partners;� Over 10 000 applicants and 1 000 participants to our projects;

VIP Romania believes that exceptional people are able to produce a change in society and that is why it invests in young people with great potential, who can become the people that will bring a change. Over the last 14 years of existence on the NGOs market, VIP aimed to form the pillars of tomorrow's society. The contribution to the development of the members is realized through progressive responsibility and through trainings and workshops as well, offering them the context for practical learning.

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Project of the VIP community – International Affairs, The Diplomatic Agenda will bring emphasis on a domain not very accessed by the Romanian academic environment - cultural diplomacy. The absence of a consistent approach of this domain is due not only to the lack of interest in these topics given in the academic environment or in the field of public debate but, also, due to the relatively new and emergent character of the domain. Therefore, the poor dissemination of information regarding this area and the lack of access to considerations based on scientific research is translated among Romanian students into ignorance regarding current problems of the domain, and at the same time, into the lack of a bigger picture which would represent the active status of the topic. Being the only Romanian project addressed to students, which treats the diplomatic environment from a cultural point of view, The Diplomatic Agenda is intended to represent an opportunity for Romanian students in order for them to gain background knowledge and to create contact with experts in this specific domain. Moreover, through the proposed videoconferences and through the connection with worldwide known specialists, the students will have the possibility to gain an insight into the foreign academic environment, and also another perspective towards the conceptions which govern their daily comfort zone.

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At this first edition, The Diplomatic Agenda will try to mark the main directions of the debated topics. All of the themes have been chosen in order to fit the next criterias: actuality, controversy, representing points of interest, emergent even at the moment of speaking. Though the topics have been widely disscused by the means of mass-media, in Romania they have not been accesed at a profound level, like The Diplomatic Agenda wishes to acomplish through the suggested methodology. The project will take place over a period of 5 days, in the second half of April, thus presenting 1 topic per day.

Each topic will be approached from the following perspectives: • videoconference: international speakers, experts in the field of the topic proposed that day.• debates after the videoconference – Romanian moderators, representatives of cultural institutions/ freelancers.

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• Cultural diplomacy – the first videoconference will try to give the participants the background information needed, a theoretical framing in the field of the further discussions. The topic will center the attention on the importance of cultural diplomacy, defined as a type of alternative communication between states, achieved through national values, art, education, science, sport or religion.

• Nation branding – a concept that is usually used in marketing is now adopted by nations’ policies and expanded at an international scale. Although meant to express the image of an entire culture, is the targeted audience reaction always the one expected?

• Social Media Revolutions – Civic and Political Impact (Possible case studies: The Arab Spring/ The Anonymous Movement/ The Occupy Movement) - despite an expected evolution towards liberalization of thought and uncensored communication power in mass-media, the freedom of expression issue reappears at a social level, affecting lately even political and economic international structures. How strong is civic reaction able to become?

• Art Repatriation - by bringing art back to the center of the discussions, the videoconference will cover what has been considered, throughout time, a controversial tension point for interstate diplomatic relations.

• War Journalism - another videoconference, will cover a subject which could be seen as the bridge between conflict areas around the world and the public perception - that part of journalism capable of going beyond visible boundaries imposed by the political and by the military context.

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Main target audience – all the students who study for a license degree in universities with a social, political or humanistic profile within the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (Faculty of Political Science, Faculty of Communication and Public Relation), University of Bucharest (Faculty of Political Science, Faculty of History, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Journalism and Communication Science, UNESCO Department in Inter-cultural and Inter-religious Exchanges), University of Architecture “Ion Mincu”, or within the National University of Arts in Bucharest.

The secondary target audience is represented by students in the first and second year who study for a master degree and attend the same universities mentioned above.

The Diplomatic Agenda’s participant:• is an active, dynamic person who takes initiative;• has an active social life, has participated in volunteering programs;• is informed and up-to-date with news from cultural and diplomatic field (national/international);• participates at various cultural events – conferences, debates, workshops;• is interested in politics, arts, sociology and is opened to the concept of multiculturalism.

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The main objectives of the project include:

• to determine students to do further research in this field;• promoting the concept of ”cultural diplomacy”;• implementing a group of discussion which would also include the speakers and the moderators. This group will facilitate the exchange of informations regarding cultural diplomacy, its impact on society and will motivate the participants to remain up to date with news on this topic.

Once this project is finalised, we would like to bring forth aspects that initially could have possibly been identified as superficial problems but through the perspective defined by The Diplomatic Agenda discussions could be now regarded with an analitical, critical eye. All in all, the project will try to be a mediator capable of easing the access of studens to this type of international conferences which, otherwise, could represent a problem from a financial point of view.

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The advertising campaign of the project and of the partners will be carried thorugh the targeted group of the project and its intended audience of partners in the following environments:

Online:• Presentation on the project website with direct link to the partners pages;• Social Media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter);• E-groups;• Sites and blogs directly targeting young passionate students in the arts communities, journalism and diplomacy;• Student portals and news.

Offline:• BTL advertising campaigns;• Display stands in universities;• Printed materials: 500 posters, 1000 stickers and 1000 flyers distributed in university centers in Bucharest + in areas frequented by students.

Through VIP Romania and International Affairs online and offline channels:• Newsletter;• Website, blog, Facebook;• Carevasăzică newspaper (circulation of 5,000 copies distributed free in universities, student campuses, in pubs and bookstores from Bucharest and outside Bucharest).

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Under the sponsorship of Media partners

Oficial partners

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Business Club Conferences is an event dedicated to students who manifest an interest in entrepreneurship, bringing before them distinguished guests from the business area, who will discuss about their accomplishments and who will be giving advice on how to build a successful career. Contact: www.bcconferences.ro

Good to Go International is at its 9th edition this year; the project represents a national business school, being addressed to students passionate about entrepreneurship, eager to develop professionally and eager to initiate themselves in the business area. Contact: www.goodtogo.ro

Econosofia Conferences is a project defined by a series of monthly conferences, during which experts from the economic and banking field will discuss current, less accessible subjects.Economics through a Macrofying Glass is addressed to Romanian students who manifest a real interest in economy; its main purpose is to help enrich their level of knowledge regarding macroeconomics and monetary policy. Contact: www.emg.econosofia.org

Investment School addresses to those students who are passionate about investments and capital markets. The project is divided in two parts: a week, during which there will be held daily conferences and a period of virtual transaction, which will last at least 2 months. Contact: www.investmentschool.ro

Risk Management is the only project on risk management from the country. Through this project the students have the opportunity to discuss with specialists about the existing risk in business, banks or multinational companies.

Global Research Summer School - is a summer school adressed to students interested in document analysis, strategies, public policies elaboration and in-depth knowledge of international relations domain: foreign affairs, geopolitics, diplomacy and globalisation. Contact: www.grss.ro

Carevasăzică - college newspaper, a publication which encourages young persons to think, to analyse and express their personal opinion, to exploit the talent which they posses. It promotes writing as a way of expressing creativity, and it also aims at educating young people through the various subjects it approaches. Contact: www.carevasazica.com

Cultural Colorimetre will challenge the best students in visual arts to prove that cultural manifestations and creativity are the answer for the current issues of society. The project’s mission is to accomplish a campaign or reassesing the culture of some urban zones in Bucharest through young peoples ingenousity. Contact: www.colorimetrulcultural.wordpress.com

Impact Marketing School is the first marketing school from Romania which gathers annually the best 25 students from the country passioned of this area, and puts them in front of a real issue such as solving a marketing brief offered by the partner company. Contact: www.marketingschool.ro

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Obiectiv is a project whose objective is to bring together 20 passionate students in the photography field and give them access to insights from experts in this domain.

Onlined is the first intensive program for Social Media learning addressed exclusively to students. It is structured in three stages: 1. resolving a brief offered by the main sponsor; 2. a mentoring process for 6 months for the 20 participants; 3. the first collaborative blogging platform of Social Media in Romania.

Personal Development School, at its ninth edition, offers a series of trainings which give the approximately 25 participants the necessary instruments for their personal development. Contact: www.personaldevelopmentschool.ro

Student of the Year is a competition addressed to the best Romanian students from 6 different fields of study: Economy, Medicine, Journalism and Communication, Architecture, IT and Law. Each field of study is sponsored by a main partner, who offers a contest theme on their specific area. Contact: www.studentulanului.ro

Visual Playground confronts you with renowned Romanian designers and illustrators and teaches you their job in two weeks of workshops and trainings dedicated to passionate students. Contact: www.visualplayground.ro.

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Project Manager: Irina PerjuE-mail: irina.perju@vipromania.ro

Telephone: +40 742 20 20 90

Assistant Manager: Olimpia IridonE-mail: olimpia.iridon@vipromania.ro

Telephone: +40 749 36 53 72

Project developed by

within the community

We believe in exceptional people!

www.vipromania.ro